Gender Coexistence – Japan's Cultural Tradition
FUJITANI Atsuko / Director of Kyoto Institute for Lifelong Education
July 9, 2003
In Japan, the Basic Law for a Gender-Equal Society was enacted and enforced in 1999. The law stipulated that men and women should work together in all decision-making situations. Japan scores significantly lower than other countries in terms of the Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM), which is an indication of the proportion of women in fields of business and politics. According to the "Human Development Report" published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2002, Japan ranks 32nd among 66 countries in which GEM can be measured, lagging far behind top-ranking countries of North Europe as well as middle-ranking countries of East Europe. I heartily agree with the opinion that more women should advance into decision-making positions in Japan as members of parliament, representatives of local councils and as corporate managers.
The serious decline in the number of children facing Japan today can also be explained as a reflection of the scarce social support available to women for childbirth and childcare as well as the deficiency in retirement security for women who were unable to pursue their careers because of children. And this in turn is the consequence of having only few women participate in shaping national policy.
A gender-equal society can only be realized by creating an environment in which men and women co-exist and live together in their daily lives at home and at the workplace. I find it curious that in most voluntary meetings of academic associations and study groups where participants engage in enthusiastic discussions on ending gender-based social and cultural discrimination of the past, men and women are not equally represented in the action. Isn't this strange?
Speaking from my own experience, in the 1960s when I became involved in activities addressing the female university student issue, almost all participants were women. From the 1970s, activities related to women's studies and gender studies as well as events for international exchange were organized in a way that women called on men to join in. In 2001, I organized the "Global Conference on Women's Culture - Kyoto 2001" with my friends in the Japan Society for Gender Studies and the Japan PEN Club to look back on the past millennium and discuss ways to create a gender-equal society in the new millennium. In this conference, the 14 advisors and 38 organizing committee members were composed of roughly the same number of men and women. It did not require any special effort. My friends and I simply invited our acquaintances, and the rest transpired as a natural outcome.
At this conference, translator Tatiana S. Deliusina touched upon the agonies of women described by Murasaki Shikibu in her "Genji Monogatari (The Tales of Genji)" and philosopher Umehara Takeshi spoke of the hidden tragedy of Sei Shonagon, author of "Makura no soshi (The Pillow Book)," while male and female scholars of gender issues related to labor, welfare, environment and politics presented their reports and took part in the debate. This conference, aimed at promoting gender-equal social participation, was itself conducted through the participation of both men and women. And there are other examples. Men and women also worked together in producing an opera and outdoor theater based on my book "Okuni Mugen" published by Kamogawa Publishing in which I wrote about the shape of love between men and women with careers through the life of Okuni of Izumo, founder of Kabuki. Having reached the ripe age of maturity that we have, participants came from all walks of life including scholars, writers, musicians, film directors, actors, photographers, doctors, lawyers, corporate executives and politicians - a dependable group indeed.
In the Heian period, when visits to Tung Dynasty China by Japanese Kentoshi envoys were abolished to develop Japan's own cultural heritage, court life could not have functioned without participation by women in the areas of literature, economy and labor. Coexistence of the genders is an intrinsic feature of Japanese culture. In any case, we must encourage more cooperation between men and women in voluntary social activities.
The writer is Director of Kyoto Institute for Lifelong Education and President of the Japan Society for Gender Studies
The serious decline in the number of children facing Japan today can also be explained as a reflection of the scarce social support available to women for childbirth and childcare as well as the deficiency in retirement security for women who were unable to pursue their careers because of children. And this in turn is the consequence of having only few women participate in shaping national policy.
A gender-equal society can only be realized by creating an environment in which men and women co-exist and live together in their daily lives at home and at the workplace. I find it curious that in most voluntary meetings of academic associations and study groups where participants engage in enthusiastic discussions on ending gender-based social and cultural discrimination of the past, men and women are not equally represented in the action. Isn't this strange?
Speaking from my own experience, in the 1960s when I became involved in activities addressing the female university student issue, almost all participants were women. From the 1970s, activities related to women's studies and gender studies as well as events for international exchange were organized in a way that women called on men to join in. In 2001, I organized the "Global Conference on Women's Culture - Kyoto 2001" with my friends in the Japan Society for Gender Studies and the Japan PEN Club to look back on the past millennium and discuss ways to create a gender-equal society in the new millennium. In this conference, the 14 advisors and 38 organizing committee members were composed of roughly the same number of men and women. It did not require any special effort. My friends and I simply invited our acquaintances, and the rest transpired as a natural outcome.
At this conference, translator Tatiana S. Deliusina touched upon the agonies of women described by Murasaki Shikibu in her "Genji Monogatari (The Tales of Genji)" and philosopher Umehara Takeshi spoke of the hidden tragedy of Sei Shonagon, author of "Makura no soshi (The Pillow Book)," while male and female scholars of gender issues related to labor, welfare, environment and politics presented their reports and took part in the debate. This conference, aimed at promoting gender-equal social participation, was itself conducted through the participation of both men and women. And there are other examples. Men and women also worked together in producing an opera and outdoor theater based on my book "Okuni Mugen" published by Kamogawa Publishing in which I wrote about the shape of love between men and women with careers through the life of Okuni of Izumo, founder of Kabuki. Having reached the ripe age of maturity that we have, participants came from all walks of life including scholars, writers, musicians, film directors, actors, photographers, doctors, lawyers, corporate executives and politicians - a dependable group indeed.
In the Heian period, when visits to Tung Dynasty China by Japanese Kentoshi envoys were abolished to develop Japan's own cultural heritage, court life could not have functioned without participation by women in the areas of literature, economy and labor. Coexistence of the genders is an intrinsic feature of Japanese culture. In any case, we must encourage more cooperation between men and women in voluntary social activities.
The writer is Director of Kyoto Institute for Lifelong Education and President of the Japan Society for Gender Studies
The English-Speaking Union of Japan
男女共生こそ日本文化の伝統
冨士谷 あつ子 / 京都生涯教育研究所長
2003年 7月 9日
我が国では、1999年に「男女共同参画社会基本法」が制定・施行された。あらゆる意思決定の場において、男女が共に臨むべきであるというのが同法の趣旨である。我が国では経済界や政治の領域において占める女性の割合（ジェンダー・エンパワーメント指数。Gender Empowerment Measure。略してGEM）が、諸外国に比して著しく低い。国連開発計画（UNDP）が2002年に発表した「人間開発計画書」によると、我が国のGEMは測定可能な66か国中32位であり、上位の北欧諸国はもとより中位の東欧諸国にも遥かに及ばない。国会議員、地方議会議員、企業管理職者として、日本でも女性がもっと意思決定の場に進出しなければという意見に、私も深くうなづく。
我が国の深刻な少子化も、しょせんは女性の出産や育児への社会的支援の乏しさと、出産や育児によって職業生活に打ち込めなかった女性への老後保障の貧しさの反映であると言える。このようなことも、政策決定の場に女性の参画が少ないからにほかならない。
ところで男女共同参画を実現するには、日常の家庭生活や職業生活の中で、男女が共にある、共に生きるという状況が創られてこそ、はじめて可能なことではないか。私が不思議でならないのは、女性と男性がものごとを決める場に一緒にいよう、これまでのような社会的・文化的な性別取り扱いをやめようと、熱心に話し合う学会や研究会などの自主的な集まりのほとんどが、日常、男女があい半ばして行動を共にしていないということである。おかしいではないか。
私の場合、1960年代に始めた女子学生問題への取り組みは、ほとんど女性だけで進めたが、70年代以来の女性学やジェンダー学への取り組みや国際文化交流の活動などは、女性から呼びかけ、男性も参加することで進めて来た。一昨年、私は日本ジェンダー学会や日本ペンクラブの仲間たちと「世界女性文化会議・京都2001」を開き、前の千年紀を振り返り、新しい千年紀において男女が平等な社会を開くために語り合ったが、この会議の顧問14名、実行委員38名は、ほぼ男女同数で構成されていた。かくべつ努力をしたわけではない。私と仲間たちがそれぞれ知人に声をかけたら、自然にそうなったに過ぎない。
この会議では、翻訳家のタチアナ・S・デリューシナさんが、『源氏物語』のなかに紫式部が描いた女性の苦悩に触れたかと思えば、哲学者の梅原猛氏が『枕草子』を描いた清少納言の隠された悲哀について述べ、労働・福祉・環境・政治等におけるジェンダー問題を男女の研究者らが報告し討論を重ねた。男女共同参画を目指すこの会議の進め方自体が、文字通り、男女共同参画であったのである。この会議ばかりではない。仕事を仲立ちとした男女の愛のありようを、歌舞伎の創始者、出雲の阿国に託して書いた拙作『阿国夢幻』（かもがわ出版）からオペラや野外劇を制作したりというような活動も、男女が共に取り組んだ。男女それぞれ実年になると、研究者・著述家・音楽家・映画監督・俳優・写真家・医師・弁護士・経営者・政治家など、さまざまな職業の経験者がいて、なかなか頼もしい。
遣唐使を廃し、国風文化を打ち立てた平安時代、文学・経済・労働の領域において、女性の存在抜きに都の暮らしは成り立ち得なかった。男女共生こそ、日本文化本来の姿なのである。ともかく自主的な社会活動の中で、もっと男女が共にあることを奨めたい。
（著者は京都生涯教育研究所長、日本ジェンダー学会会長）
我が国の深刻な少子化も、しょせんは女性の出産や育児への社会的支援の乏しさと、出産や育児によって職業生活に打ち込めなかった女性への老後保障の貧しさの反映であると言える。このようなことも、政策決定の場に女性の参画が少ないからにほかならない。
ところで男女共同参画を実現するには、日常の家庭生活や職業生活の中で、男女が共にある、共に生きるという状況が創られてこそ、はじめて可能なことではないか。私が不思議でならないのは、女性と男性がものごとを決める場に一緒にいよう、これまでのような社会的・文化的な性別取り扱いをやめようと、熱心に話し合う学会や研究会などの自主的な集まりのほとんどが、日常、男女があい半ばして行動を共にしていないということである。おかしいではないか。
私の場合、1960年代に始めた女子学生問題への取り組みは、ほとんど女性だけで進めたが、70年代以来の女性学やジェンダー学への取り組みや国際文化交流の活動などは、女性から呼びかけ、男性も参加することで進めて来た。一昨年、私は日本ジェンダー学会や日本ペンクラブの仲間たちと「世界女性文化会議・京都2001」を開き、前の千年紀を振り返り、新しい千年紀において男女が平等な社会を開くために語り合ったが、この会議の顧問14名、実行委員38名は、ほぼ男女同数で構成されていた。かくべつ努力をしたわけではない。私と仲間たちがそれぞれ知人に声をかけたら、自然にそうなったに過ぎない。
この会議では、翻訳家のタチアナ・S・デリューシナさんが、『源氏物語』のなかに紫式部が描いた女性の苦悩に触れたかと思えば、哲学者の梅原猛氏が『枕草子』を描いた清少納言の隠された悲哀について述べ、労働・福祉・環境・政治等におけるジェンダー問題を男女の研究者らが報告し討論を重ねた。男女共同参画を目指すこの会議の進め方自体が、文字通り、男女共同参画であったのである。この会議ばかりではない。仕事を仲立ちとした男女の愛のありようを、歌舞伎の創始者、出雲の阿国に託して書いた拙作『阿国夢幻』（かもがわ出版）からオペラや野外劇を制作したりというような活動も、男女が共に取り組んだ。男女それぞれ実年になると、研究者・著述家・音楽家・映画監督・俳優・写真家・医師・弁護士・経営者・政治家など、さまざまな職業の経験者がいて、なかなか頼もしい。
遣唐使を廃し、国風文化を打ち立てた平安時代、文学・経済・労働の領域において、女性の存在抜きに都の暮らしは成り立ち得なかった。男女共生こそ、日本文化本来の姿なのである。ともかく自主的な社会活動の中で、もっと男女が共にあることを奨めたい。
（著者は京都生涯教育研究所長、日本ジェンダー学会会長）
一般社団法人 日本英語交流連盟